Baleària begins sea trials for LNG dual-fuel ferry

Spanish ferry operator Baleària has commenced sea trials for its new LNG dual-fuel catamaran ferry Mercedes Pinto in Gijón, Spain.

IMAGE: Baleària’s LNG dual-fuel catamaran Mercedes Pinto. Baleària

A catamaran is a vessel with two parallel hulls connected by a deck.

The ferry is capable of running on both LNG and conventional marine fuels. It is currently under construction at the Armon shipyard, with delivery expected in May.

Baleària intends to deploy the vessel on Canary Islands routes following the completion of its acquisition of assets from Armas Trasmediterránea.

Mercedes Pinto will join the operator’s existing catamarans, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Margarita Salas, within the Baleària fleet.

The company continues to advance its decarbonisation efforts through the adoption of cleaner fuels and fleet electrification. In October last year, Baleària began using bio-LNG on three ferries, and earlier in August, it commissioned two fully electric RoPax vessels from Astilleros Armon’s Gijón shipyard.

By Tuhin Roy

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